Maximum PC

The steaming pile of crap that is "Games for Windows Live" has just reared its ugly head today, the day of the public release Age of Empires Online game. You happily click the "Download" button on the home site of the game. After going through the whole download, setup, and patch procedure, you finally press the "Play" button. And omg, the dreaded GFW Live client opens up and asks me for the game's product key. Say what? And not only that, it said that I couldn't sign into the GFW client because of an error. So I copy the error code (code: 8015403A) into my google search box and it says I need to agree to an update of the Xbox ToS. Excuse me? I don't even have an Xbox. But I sign in with my GFW account information from the browser (it's the only way that it will let me sign in) and click on the "Agree" button for the ToS. So far so good. Then I try to follow the AoEO support forum on how to find the product key, but no love there.

I won't go into more detail, it's not necessary. The point to this little tirade is this: what is the problem with all the shitty software out there today where developers cannot even handle some of the most basic issues with their users signing in and having everything go smooth without all the stupid bullshit? Why do developers seem to almost enjoy making their software very difficult to navigate, setup, and use? Thank God software developers don't design our cars or we'd all be in serious trouble. Software developers would make it so that we'd have to cut a hole in our floorboard, and then another one in our transmission box just so we could manually change the gears in there.

Crapware really gets my blood boiling these days. There's just absolutely NO reason or justification for shitty software anywhere in any form any more. Aaaarrrgghh!

It sounds to me like it's not a Free to Play game. You actually have to own it to play online.

It says free to play right on their site, he's just bitching about the terrible Games for Windows Live system that hinders people from playing it.

GFWL is the worst piece of software I've ever used. In fact, I refuse to buy a game if it uses GFWL. I really enjoyed Dirt 2 but after it deleted all my progress (GFWL) I uninstalled it. Upon hearing that Dirt 3 had GFWL I decided against purchasing it. That's the only way I can do my small part, by not giving them my money. An absolute and utter failure of a program is what it is and whoever created it should be taken into the street and shot.

Good to know I'm not the only one that shares the opinion about the terribleness that is GFWL. The software for it is confusing, bug-ridden, and just all around bad. And yes, they did say specifically that it was free to play with "booster" packs to help enhance the experience if you wanted to pay for them, but they weren't necessary to play the game.